This is the 4128th most frequent German word.
anfangs
"Anfangs" means "at the beginning" or "initially" in English.
Used as an adverb meaning 'in the beginning' or 'initially' to describe the time frame of knowing how something works.
Anfangs wusste sie nicht, wie das funktioniert.
At first, she did not know how that works.
Used as an adverb emphasizing the initial skepticism someone had towards an idea or situation.
Er war anfangs sehr skeptisch gegenüber der neuen Idee.
Initially, he was very skeptical about the new idea.
The adverb 'anfangs' describes the initial state of facing difficulties during adaptation.